


rumor has it

by chariiots



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 97 line are side characters, A LOT of Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, i try very hard, lapslock, please appreciate the puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 13:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12191280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chariiots/pseuds/chariiots
Summary: News: SEVENTEEN’s Kim Mingyu and The8 Dating?Fans have started theorizing that Kim Mingyu and The8 are dating, and we cannot blame them. During their last fansign, they were seen holding hands.This has reportedly not been the first time, with fantaken photos of them holding hands while walking. Fans also quote their mukbang Vlive, where the two were feeding each other. Do you think they have something going on?[or; in which mingyu and minghao are forced by pledis to pretend to date, and maybe they're a little too gay for this.]





	rumor has it

**Author's Note:**

> this was a prompt that i received on my tumblr, akp please hire me my fake article is so your style

it all starts with personal instagram pages, and a very, very messed up demand from the CEO.

it’s nothing more than a publicity scheme, they explain. fans love fanservice, they’re a popular ship, and they’re not actually gay, unlike some of the hyungs in their group. it all makes perfect sense for them to be the ones doing this. it shouldn’t be an issue. after all, it’s all just for publicity.

of course, minghao can’t exactly say no to the CEO, as much as he wants to, and the rest of the boys are also in no position to protest. no one in the performance team mentions how there’s been a little… pathetically hopeless pining on minghao’s side. he’s hopeless when it comes to mingyu, and they wish they could end his (and their) suffering, so that they wouldn’t have to listen to how, quoting minghao himself, “unfairly good looking he is” and “how does he make his clumsiness look cute!”

the problem is, minghao himself is in denial, even though everyone else in the performance team can see it. junhui’s been trying to subtly tell him that “hey dude, you’re gay for mingyu, wanna take a second to realize that?” but really, it’s useless when someone’s as dense as minghao is when it comes to love, or when you have someone like junhui doing it.

honestly, soonyoung knows this is just a bad idea, but there’s nothing he can do to stop it. he wants to protect minghao, and so does the rest of the performance team, but when they try to think of ideas to help him, they just draw a blank. all he can do is worry about minghao, and inevitably have to pick up the pieces when he gets hurt.

-  
  
instagram: new post from gyuhaoupdates! 112 likes

caption: tl; “pretty boys” yah! these boys are out to make my heart burst! mingyu looks so handsome, and shy minghao ㅋㅋ

comments：  
mingew: their personal instagrams are the biggest blessing to mankind T.T so much gyuhao,,  
soonyoungs: my pores are cleared my crops are watered the stars are bright gyuhao has saved 2017  
memehao: ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

-  
  
the vlive is probably an obligatory thing, if the constant prompting by their manager and the forceful scheduling of one for just the two of them wasn’t enough to show it. what they choose to do is up to them and on the company, so they may as well make the most out of this and do a mukbang vlive “in their pajamas”.

quite frankly, none of the members have actually worn the silk pajamas that they got as a fan gift a few weeks back since theirs are still in good condition. they’re ridiculously soft, and minghao knows this must not have been cheap, especially since she bought thirteen.

“do you… do you think that this is wrong? lying to the fans and making them think we’re dating,” mingyu asks out of the blue. minghao opens his mouth to answer, but hesitates. he doesn’t like lying to the fans, because that’s no way to treat someone who loves you with all their heart. if minghao had the choice, he wouldn’t be doing this, would rather not be stringing carats along because they don’t deserve to be lied to like that, but if the CEO wants something from them, they have to deliver.

“i don’t know, gyu, it’s not like we have a choice anyway.” it’s quite wrong to string the fans along, but don’t they get satisfaction from their favorite pairings having moments? hell, jihoon hyung and seungcheol hyung aren’t dating, but the fans love finding small details to nitpick and use as “proof” of a relationship. it’s- it’s justified, right? he’s just trying to make his fans happy.

the doorbell rings, and mingyu excuses himself, leaving minghao to set up the camera for the vlive. when he comes back, hands full of bags of food courtesy of the company’s credit card and smiling, it’s almost like this is normal, like everything is natural for them and that they’re not putting up an act.

during the vlive, they argue like always, talking like childhood friends even though they’ve only known each other for almost four years, and the fans still love it, still love them for how they interact naturally. maybe what the fans want isn’t an act. maybe what they want is a genuine connection, but that’s not what the company is pushing for. guilt settles in minghao’s stomach. he’s not one to lie, especially to the fans, but this time it’s something he has to do.

-  
  
twitter: seungcheol’s bae and my won and only liked a tweet from fyeah! mingyu

tweet: WHO THE F ALLOWED THIS I’M SO ATTACKED RN GYUHAO IS ALIVE AND OUT STEP ASIDE MEANIE YALL [gif] [gif]

-  
  
honestly, they did not discuss this at all, and neither of them know how it’s worked out so far. it’s amazing how easily they adapt to the situation, or else they would’ve been exposed really quickly. the more he thinks about it, the more he feels like he should start planning it in advance with mingyu, but it shouldn’t really matter. it’s the element of surprise that makes it fun, anyway.

today, it’s minghao’s goal to start some shit at the fanmeet before mingyu gets to, since he’s taking him by surprise far too many times this week. there’s a fan giving him the perfect opportunity to, taking up a lot of time on the hyungs’ end, which is kind of holding things up a little bit for their side. bless her.

minghao slowly leans against mingyu’s shoulder, and reaches out to hold his hand, casually playing with his fingers. mingyu stiffens almost immediately, and minghao tries his best to not laugh and grips tighter.

“dude, what are you doing? isn’t this like… crossing any lines?” mingyu nervously whispers to him.

“unless you want me to stop-”

“it’s okay, i’m okay with it.” mingyu smiles at him, and minghao can’t help but laugh breathily against the crook of mingyu’s neck. he mumbles something about his breath being very ticklish, as he leans back against minghao.

minghao knows he shouldn’t be feeling so content, but he can’t help it. it’s the most relaxed he’s been in the chaos of moving from city to city for fanmeets and preparing for a world tour. he can throw professionalism straight out of the window for all he cares, if it means getting to just breathe with moments like this. all the performing gets tiring sometimes, but he loves it. he loves the fans, he loves being able to live out his dream, he loves the twelve boys that will hopefully always be by his side. but, moments like this are rare, and he wants to stop time and stay like this forever.

the fan moves on from jihoon, and mingyu quickly sits back up straight. “haohao, let go. i need my hand,” he insists.

minghao pouts and lets go. he knows the fan just had a heart attack watching them, and he has absolutely no regrets.

(or maybe, he has one, and he goes by the name of kim mingyu.)

-  
  
News: SEVENTEEN’s Kim Mingyu and The8 Dating?

Fans have started theorizing that Kim Mingyu and The8 are dating, and we cannot blame them.

During their last fansign, they were seen holding hands.

This has reportedly not been the first time, with fantaken photos of them holding hands while walking.

Fans also quote their mukbang Vlive, where the two were feeding each other.

Do you think they have something going on?

-  
  
maybe it’s better for mingyu’s sanity if he asks the CEO if they can stop this, really. it’s not that he can’t stand it anymore, no, it’s quite the opposite actually. the more he thinks about it, the more it hurts, because this is exactly the kind of thing he wants to be happening. what terrifies him is that he doesn’t want this to be an act.

he’s not too sure when he started crushing on minghao, maybe even since predebut days, but once he fell, he fell hard. it’s pointless, though. he’s probably not even interested in the slightest, and doing this just to satisfy the CEO. mingyu wonders if minghao’s actually disturbed by the whole acting thing.

he knows it’s going to hurt when minghao cuts the act, when he gets with someone else. hell, he doubts minghao’s even gay.

“you okay? you’re spacing out again.” minghao says, pinching him to snap him out of it.

“yeah, just thinking.”

minghao laughs, and he sounds like an angel. “that must be new for you- hold on, eyelash.” he reaches out to brush off an eyelash with his thumb, and mingyu lets him. this whole thing is the closest he’ll get to dating minghao anyway.

how fun, drowning in self deception? it’s not like he’s never been hurt before anyway. it’s not like it’ll be the first time minghao accidentally hurts him. it’ll just… be the first time minghao breaks his heart. yet, he’d willingly give minghao his heart over and over again, even if it meant that he’d break it every single time.

-  
  
justice for samuel has replied to your comment on youtube!  
min yoongi’s left ear: i came here because i checked out the gyuhao tag after it trended on tumblr, but i don’t regret it! these boys are so talented, who's the one at 0:03?   
justice for samuel: that's yoon jeonghan :)

-  
  
it’s more habit than acting now, lines blurred since god knows how long ago, and it’s scaring minghao so bad. the pretence of love and a real crush are indistinguishable at this point in time, and he thinks - no, knows - that he likes mingyu more than he should.

he’s not lying to the fans about his feelings anymore, but he still feels like a filthy criminal. it’s like he’s cheating mingyu into showing him affection, when he probably won’t even want to talk to minghao if he ever found out. it’s probably just an act to him, and it sucks.

he loosens his grip on mingyu’s hand, loosely lacing their fingers as he looks at mingyu. kim mingyu is definitely too good for him, with how he can still look like a model even though he’s just scrolling through instagram on his phone, sitting on a ratty couch in their dorm. it’s him, it’s always going to be him that minghao’s mind always wanders towards, and minghao hates it.

(he hates love, but not mingyu. he could never.)

-  
  
user has posted a new fic on ao3!  
title: rumor has it  
tags: angst, humor, angst with a happy ending, fake dating  
summary: in which mingyu and minghao are forced to fake date for publicity, and maybe they’re just a little too gay for this.

-

  
“xu minghao, kim mingyu, do you know why we’re here today? you know how much i hate having to intervene, so let’s get this over with quickly,” seungcheol says, staring at them so intently as if to decipher everything. soonyoung sits beside him, leafing through a notebook. it’s as if the two of them are treating them like suspects to interview, and it’s insanely uncomfortable.

“haohao, you’ve been distant lately, and you’ve been messing up in practices more than ever. two weeks ago, when you kept missing the same beat over and over, and when jun and i asked you what’s wrong, you just ignored us and muttered something.”

“soonyoung, that’s enough, we’re not guilt tripping them. gyu, you too. it feels like you’re avoiding the performance unit by gluing to us, and we just want to know why are you two so out of it? we want to fix this, okay? if it’s about the fake dating thing, we can get the CEO to call it off-”

“look, can we just leave it?” mingyu insists, and minghao knows seungcheol’s just hit a nerve. the thing is, now, they act like they’re still close in front of the fans. otherwise, they would just avoid each other. the distance is killing minghao slowly, but it’s not as if he dares to bring it up to mingyu.

“gyu, we can’t. it’s not just affecting your work, i’ve also never seen the two of you so unhappy. the most i’ll let is that the two of you talk it out now, but in private. please, just resolve this. i just want you two to figure out what’s best for each other.” with that, seungcheol stands up to leave. soonyoung tries to protest against it, probably wanting to see it through all the way so minghao won’t have to hurt anymore, but seungcheol drags him out against his will.

the practice room is silent, and mingyu won’t look him in the eye. everything is racing through minghao’s mind, thoughts blurring together into a mess of “does mingyu hate me?” he’s not sure whether he crossed any lines, or if he said something that offended him. all he wants is mingyu to just talk to him again, but he’s not making it easy.

mingyu speaks first, but it’s just him asking minghao to tell seungcheol they talked it out. it’s frustrating, almost as if he’s talking to a goddamn wall with how stubborn mingyu is. “are you stupid!” he bursts out in chinese. “i can’t live like this! i like you kim mingyu, you damn idiot! i want to date you for real, so can you stop ignoring me!”

mingyu blinks, once, twice. “can you repeat that in korean?” right, he’s the idiot. but the adrenaline and anger has ebbed away, and his burning shame just won’t allow him to say anything else. “i got the ‘i like you’ part, jun taught me a few chinese phrases before,” mingyu says, tripping over the words ‘i like you’, as if he himself is in disbelief.

minghao’s ready to murder junhui, and he takes a deep breath. “i like you,” minghao repeats breathily in korean. “i like you a lot, and i hate that you’re ignoring me.”

“you started it, you fool. but, i like you too.” mingyu grins at him, and cups his cheeks. “can i kiss you?”

minghao nods, and smiles shyly.

-  
  
1839 notifications from “97 line best line”

bamboygoodboy: [image attached]  
bamboygoodboy: [image attached]  
bamboygoodboy: [image attached]  
bamboygoodboy: look at them  
bamboygoodboy: gros  
yugyumyum: leave them alone man they just started dating  
yugyumyum: you took like half a year to get over our honeymoon phase you don’t get a say in this  
gukshitrightthere: exposed  
betterjung: sometimes i wonder why you talk  
seoperhot: says the one who changed all our names to produce 101 puns  
betterjung: i promote p101 better than pledis promotes nu’est wanna fight?  
whoyu: let’s not!  
whoyu: congrats to mingyu and minghao :D  
nayaha: congrats  
nayaha: sorry we weren’t on lately schedules suck  
nayaha: @bamboygoodboy is third wheeling fun  
bamboygoodboy: uncomfortable  
bamboygoodboy: seok why did u have to abandon  
seoktime: ://///// hoshi hyung and seungkwan wanted to eat MEAT and woozi hyung was treating since he lost a bet to them  
seoktime: how can i say no?  
bamboygoodboy: how bout u gyeom  
yugyumyum: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
bamboygoodboy: terrible boyfriend 1/10  
hyoways: better than u   
hyoways: congrats minghao and mingyu do you know how insufferable you two were when you both refused to talk to each other  
hyoways: very  
hyoways: i’m glad to see yall talked it out but can yall stop bambam from spamming any more pics of you two  
hyoways: you’re cute and all but i don’t need it in my phone  
nayaha: harsh  
mingustasgyu: sorry that i love my boyfriend  
seoperhot: gros

**Author's Note:**

> bamboygoodboy: bambam (got7)  
> yugyumyum: yugyeom (got7)  
> gukshitrightthere: jungkook (bts)  
> betterjung: chaeyeon (p101/dia)  
> seoperhot: minghao  
> whoyu: yuju (gfriend)  
> nayaha: eunha (gfriend)  
> seoktime: seokmin  
> hyoways: jihyo (twice)  
> mingustasgyu: mingyu
> 
> after 10 years of inactivity: cross posts something from my tumblr that i wrote ages ago
> 
> [prompt me!](https://cheriiots.tumblr.com/ask)
> 
> social media: [tumblr](https://cheriiots.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/chariiots) | [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/woozwhy)


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